Drone Animal Rescue, Doug to the Rescue (Thron)

Infrared Drone Animal Rescue:

Hi, my name is Douglas Thron. I’m a professional drone pilot pioneering a new path in the world of animal rescue.

For the past decade, I have been one of the leading aerial cinematographers in the world, working for clients like National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and CBS. During this film work, I had the idea to combine drone technology and infrared cameras, creating a powerful new tool for locating animals in need. My infrared scope can pick up the heat signatures of animals through any amount of debris, forest cover, or other visibility hazards, and by connecting it to the DJI Matrice drone, I can search vast areas in minutes that would take days to cover by foot.

I have spent the better part of the last two years traveling around the globe, using this new technology to rescue countless animals: hundreds of koalas displaced in the Australian bush fires, countless dogs and cats in the wake of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, pets of all types in the California wildfires and other disasters across the United States. 

When disasters strike, people are often forced to evacuate as fast as possible and sometimes this means leaving their pets behind. My mission is to locate any animals lost or abandoned in these disaster areas and deliver them to safety. Whether it’s a fire, flood, or hurricane, wherever animals are in danger, that’s where I’ll be.

Unfortunately, in order to fund my rescue work and living expenses, I have had to rely on corporate drone shoots and other less meaningful projects which have become increasingly scarce during the pandemic. My passion has always been helping animals and the environment and I want to devote my full time and efforts to this cause.

I am creating this GoFundMe page as a means to fund my rescue work and turn saving animals into my full-time job. I have always been frugal by nature, sleeping out in nature when I am traveling and eating homemade tuna wraps for most meals, but the costs of my work add up.  The money you donate will help cover the prohibitively high costs of my infrared drone equipment, all travel expenses – gas, car maintenance, flights to disaster areas around the world, as well as all costs necessary to ensure that the animals I rescue receive the veterinary care and rehabilitation that they need.

Animals are everything to me. Reuniting families with their lost pets, rescuing injured, wild animals, and finding loving homes for those left in disasters is why I do what I do. Every animal deserves love and care. Your donation means the world to me and will allow me to devote my full time to saving animals and further pioneering this new exciting world of drone rescue work.

Thank you,

Douglas Thron

These funds have been used to save animals in Bahamas, Australia, Oregon, California, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Africa, Kentucky, Canada, Dominican Republic, and now war zone animals in Ukraine!